Mack NR color

[Private_collector]

Vlad, your work is unbelievably good!

I am humbled by your standard of workmanship.

[jack neville]

Very nice work Vlad. My son jake and I did a full re-rivet job on our Ford/ Marmon Herrington gun tractor a few years ago. I would have liked a big press like you used although a bit big for a Ford chassis. Had to do ours by hand.

[Slava]

Thank you guys for a kind words.
I haven't time enough to follow the forum on a constant basis although try to keep the track. Hope some of you migth enjoy seeing this story.

Jack, it's interesting to know you went a rivet path.
If you have it posted anywhere I'd like to see a link to.
I also started trying to hammer them but had absolutely no luck.
As for the press I used I had to fabricate cups to my size of rivets because the original ones were too big. There were 2 type of heads of different OD and I ordered them both and of 2 different length to play with offset inside the U-part of the press.

[Alex van de Wetering]

Awesome work Vlad and good to see the frame back on it's wheels. I like you style of replacing all bushings, rubber and even the rivets. This truck will definately last until the 100th anniversary of WW2.....and probably the 200th Birthday as well

Do you have any pics of the truck when you found it? Quite interesting to hear that the truck basically spent all it's life in Russia. I guess it must have seen some civilian use as well?

Alex

[Slava]

Alex, thank you for keeping attention.
I'm shure the truck spent all its life in Russia because I was first told about it in late 80's, still the cold war time and there were no chances to import anything from another country and just make a trip out of the country as well.
After many years I got it because I too liked Mack trucks and couldn't miss that chance. Actually to the end of its service it was not an object correctly to call Mack truck. Original engine was replaced with aftermarket one, gearbox the same way and the cab changed with MAZ-200 post war Soviet truck closed cab.
By the way all the hubs were reworked into 20 inches because of no ability to get another size of tyres in SU. Before to start the restoration I provided wide research on spare parts sources and got myself on this forum. It was a key to success of that story, I found the men who helped. After some time I bought whole other truck wich I used as a spare one. It was supplied in France right after the end of the war. So the product I'm going to end up as a ready vehicle will be a combination of two trucks. I't usual way though. Here you can see Russian chassis as I brang it home about 4 years ago.

[maple_leaf_eh]

Slava, you are doing good work. We don`t own these vehicles, we just look after them for the next generation. As has been mentioned, not many guys have the facilities or the courage to restore heavy trucks.

[Slava]

I haven't posted anything for a while but it didn't mean I had no progress.
Now it's time for some updates.
I spent a bunch of time making up the fuel tanks. Had 3 of them. Taking the worst one aside one was solid but filled with something like a bitum mixed with fuel and the other had rust inside wich followed some holes in the bottom.
Not bad at all. The first one was washed with about 200l of diesel wich I'll use in my house heating and the second one was filled with 3-4 handfulls of gravel stones, hooked up in two straps and wobbled by hands hell bunch of times.